People Tree's performance
Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers
Transparency and accountability
People Tree's Performance
MCC project in Bangladesh and People Tree team
Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers
Fair Trade is a strategy for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Its purpose is to create opportunities for producers who have been economically disadvantaged or marginalized by the conventional trading system.
(IFAT, International Fair Trade Association, standard 1).
 Artisan from Minka, Peru, wearing one of his hand woven scarves. |
 Kiondo artisan, Crafts of Africa, Kenya |
 Artisan from the Keya Palm Group, MCC in Bangladesh. |
 Kiran and Gina from KTS, visiting People Tree's (Japan) head office on their Market Exposure Programme in May 2006. |
 Sister Betsy and Assisi artisans looking at their products in People Tree's catalogue. |
 An Artisan from Minka, Peru, meeting customers and showing them how to spin alpaca. |
A producer based in Bangladesh, Jahanara Cottage Industries, was experiencing difficulties in transporting its products from rural women's groups to their head office in Dhaka. Previously products were collected by local bus, resulting in them becoming spoiled on route. Global Village (People Tree's sister NGO) provided Jahanara with a US$3000 interest free loan to buy a van to transport cane baskets. To find out more go to IFAT's 3rd standard, which addresses capacity building. |
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Producer information
Producer information is published on People Tree's website and articles carried in the mail order catalogues. People Tree invites producers to meet customers through events, seminars and small talks which provide customers with opportunities to meet producers.
People Tree also holds monthly company wide meetings to discuss plans, strategies and news amongst the People Tree team.
People Tree researches, prepares accounts and generally supports partners in fine tuning their Fair Trade compliance.
Capacity Building
Fair Trade is a means to develop producers' independence. Fair Trade relationships provide continuity, during which producers and their marketing organizations can improve their management skills and their access to new markets.
(International Fair Trade Association, Standard 3)
 Quality Control workshop in Nepal. |
 Developing traditional skills in Bhuj, India. |
 Developing traditional skills in Bhuj, India. |
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Only 7 of 55 producers are unable to offer their producers assistance for the schooling of their children. These are very small groups and have few customers. People Tree orders from these group are small. The majority of producers are able to support the education of producers' children either financially or by providing materials, and in some cases they run schools themselves.
- The results of capacity building
The Social Review reported a doubling of income against local income rates. Not surprisingly, producer partners relate that their families are able to eat three meals a day, rent good accommodation, even buy land and build their own homes. Families can afford to educate their children and save for their future, something that would have been inconceivable in the past. - Self Worth
Also a livelihood gives artisans a strong sense of self worth, confidence and pride, things that cannot be bought. This had often been denied to them due to their gender, caste, ethnicity or disability. - Capacity building for environmentally friendly production
An important part of this aspect of capacity building is developing environmentally-friendly production. People Tree's environmental policy helps by ordering eco-friendly products and helping producers build capacity to be able to make them. People Tree's environmental standards; include sourcing materials locally, using only natural products and recycled materials. Access to azo-free dyes and managing effluents and waste responsibly. People Tree has initiated and strengthened the supply chain for Fair Trade and organic cotton for use by producer groups. People Tree organizes training sessions and workshops to inform and transfer relevant skills. It also invests and supports partners to introduce environmentally friendly materials and production methods.
They are able to change their lifestyles. Our producers are poor but when they join us they can take their food three times [a day], their children are going to school, and they have an honorable place in the society.
MCC Jobarpar enterprise, Bangladesh.
Producers are becoming more self reliant as they acquire more skills
Bega Kwa Bega, Kenya.
**See more under - Environment
Promoting Fair Trade
Fair Trade Organizations raise awareness of Fair Trade and the possibility of greater justice in world trade. They provide their customers with information about the organization, the products, and in what conditions they are made. They use honest advertising and marketing techniques and aim for the highest standards in product quality and packing.
(International Fair Trade Association, Standard 4)
 World Trade Organization - Safia at Fair Trade forum in Hong Kong |
 Fair Trade fashion show in Hong Kong |
 People Tree brings together Trade Union leaders Amin and ECOTA, director Arshad at the 3rd session on Fair Trade capacity building |
 Action Bag, Bangladesh |
 Keya Palm, Bangladesh |
 Thanapara Swallows, Bangladesh |
For promptness of final payment only 2% were unsatisfied, which could be due to delays in local bank transfers. 
Producers expressed great satisfaction with People Tree's observation of Fair Trade standards. Questions which dealt with producer satisfaction of final payment, pricing, and advance payments rated most highly. Producers also noted significant improvements in the area of product development since 2004. Timely advance payments helped producers to reduce costs of financing interest on loans of 18% per annum and more. Gender EquityFair Trade means that women's work is properly valued and rewarded. Women are always paid for their contribution to the production process and are empowered in their organizations.
Fair Trade promotes work for marginalized groups. Women represent over 80% of People Tree's producers. This means greater opportunities for women, and a strengthening of their economic earnings and social position. Better earnings, training and self confidence help women to take leadership roles in their workplace and community and to promote gender equality in society and equal rights for women. "Producers living standards have been improved and help increase their respect in the community. Their children, even the girls, now have opportunities for better and higher education" "Fair Trade enables women to get more part time jobs which help them to become economically empowered. Fair Trade helps strengthen women's position in the family and society." Women's development How Fair Trade helped women get ahead
Working Conditions
Fair Trade means a safe and healthy working environment for producers. The participation of children (if any) does not adversely affect their well-being, security, educational requirements and need for play and conforms to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as the law and norms in the local context.
"This so comfortable a place for us to work and stay. I earn well and rest well and look forward to seeing my family at the weekend. Lots of weavers from surrounding places come to look at our place here we have good lights and fans for when it is very hot. They are starting to ask their bosses for better place too" Child LabourFair Trade Organizations respect the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as local laws and social norms in order to ensure that the participation of children in production processes of fairly traded articles (if any) does not adversely affect their well-being, security, educational requirements and need for play. Organizations working directly with informally organized producers disclose the involvement of children in production.
People Tree campaigns against child labour and actively promotes the observation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child by promoting Fair Trade, so parents can afford to send their children to school - not work.
Through People Tree and Tara projects the 'Sports for All' campaign has helped children of our producers and children of vulnerable communities, like those whose slum homes were flattened by the government. Delivering games like badminton and karim (a board game) for the girls, a board game and cricket and balls for the boys.
By promoting livelihoods and Fair prices to adults People Tree is helping solve the need for child labour. It is usually low prices that create the need for child labour as child wages are a third that of adult wages. Thanks to adults and particularly women being given an opportunity to work under Fair Trade conditions the economic situation of the families improves, the family can eat better, access better shelter and generally provide for itself and subsequently is not forced to send their children to work. Guinea from Thanapara Swallows, in Bangladesh spoke during her visit to People Tree in 2006 about how the practice of polygamy and the occurrence of domestic violence were becoming less and less common since women were able to provide for themselves and their children. In particular she explained that this was having a great impact on young girls who now were not only educated but were also able to look forward to real opportunities for themselves in the future. She related how many young girls now expect to further their studies and develop their own careers; these are very different aspirations to those that their mothers would have had at their age. Because Fair Trade is about supporting women and the social development of the community as well as protecting the environment, children benefit from a healthier environment and community to grow up in. The Fair Trade community is not against child work, when children help their family after school with cooking and chores. Indeed this is a reality for many households in developing countries. The World Fair Trade Day 2007 theme 'Kids need Fair Trade' provided the People Tree team with a unique opportunity to interview producer partners' kids about how they felt about street children and child labour. Case study - Why families don't send their kids to school Today, there are 237 children aged 3 - 12 years old who receive free education at the KTS School and 150 trainees from all over Nepal graduate each year. Some start their own carpentry businesses in their home villages and other experienced women knit sweaters for People Tree. The community is now largely integrated into mainstream society and although still slightly discriminated against they have social and economic independence. Some of their children have become office workers, others have started their own restaurants, and one recently became a nurse, which would have been unthinkable twenty years ago.
The EnvironmentFair Trade actively encourages better environmental practices and the application of responsible methods of production.
People Tree's founder, Safia Minney, an ecologist, proposed that the environment could be added as an IFAT Fair Trade standard. She passionately believes that trade could work whilst respecting both people and the planet. People Tree has been a pioneer in the Fair Trade movement for environmental production methods and organic agriculture for foods and cotton. People Tree's Eco Policy
"By working with People Tree we have become more aware about the use of AZO free dyes (...) we have also become more aware about the use of Nickel free plating. We try to avoid plastic. We are thankful to People Tree for their efforts to motivate us in this direction. Environmentally-friendly production People Tree and partners collaborate to minimize all negative environmental impacts and promote environmentally friendly alternatives. For 63.5% or 33 of People Tree's producers, People Tree's Eco Policy has been a catalyst in changing the way they produce their products, and in helping protect their environment.
"Our association with People Tree has kept our interest in natural dyes alive and active." Artisan Hut (Bangladesh), one of People Tree's key partners, specialises in the production of woven and embroidered garments. Artisan Hut's director Monju Haque, worked with People Tree, their long time Fair Trade partner, to source organic cotton from India`. There is no Organic Cotton in Bangladesh yet. People Tree sponsored Monju to travel to India to meet People Tree's Organic Cotton partner and to discuss buying Organic Cotton yarn. Several months after their meeting the much anticipated organic Fair Trade yarn arrived by boat and was hand woven and tailored into the first ever hand woven Organic Cotton fairly traded suits. "The cotton is of very high quality as it is the first flush and superior to what we are usually are able to buy," says Monju, "The fabric feels so good. Thanks to our close partnership we have managed to turn a dream into reality and this is helping even more weavers to earn a livelihood and educate their children. We would not have been able to do this without People Tree's support." People Tree started an organic cotton project in Bangladesh in May 2007. Today Bangladesh is famous for its garment factories, but surprisingly, produces only 2% of its own cotton. Cotton comes from India, Pakistan and China. Synthetic fabrics are imported from Korea, China, Hong Kong and other countries and made into clothes using cheap Bangladeshi labour. Safia visited the conventional cotton-growing areas of Tangail, to ask farmers about the barriers keeping them from growing cotton organically in Bangladesh. Mr Monydeen, one of the farmers visited by People Tree, explained how he felt that current farming practices in Bangladesh were like a slow poison and how he would love to try to go back to the way his ancestors farmed, organically, if it was better for his health and protected the environment; but he remarked that he needed training to learn how to do this. This would benefit farmers' health too as they inter-crop their own food and vegetables, grown organically they benefit from better health. Safia visited government, business and NGO representatives and was able to secure commitment from these sectors to trial organic cotton. People Tree has supported training for three agricultural extension workers from Bangladesh to work with People Tree's organic cotton partner in India. They learnt how to prepare the soil with organic fertilizers whilst learning about Fair Trade. People Tree supports the project and commits to buying the cotton grown organically in the future to promote sustainable agriculture and the promotion of farmer's livelihoods. People Tree paid for organic certification and have promoted organic farming Reviving traditional skills Trade RelationsFair Trade Organizations trade with concern for the social, economic and environmental well-being of marginalized small producers and do not maximise profit at their expense. They maintain long-term relationships based on solidarity, trust and mutual respect that contribute to the promotion and growth of Fair Trade. Whenever possible producers are assisted with access to pre-harvest or pre-production advance payment.
People Tree's Fair Trade partner producers are all Fair Trade organizations. Most of our partners who engage with non-Fair Trade buyers wish to discontinue this practice due to commercial practices such as the dumping of orders, late payments and very low prices. However for this they need the Fair Trade market to grow.
People Tree was scored exceptionally highly by partner producers for trade relations. "We are Bangladeshi's Fair Trade manufacturers and understood Fair Trade business is charity and a small business with irregular orders and less quality products. But People Tree breaks our above thought by their activity/action plan. Which making us skill to run business, make quality products, hopes to go forward for business. It helps also to create our domestic market. So that our producers income, buying capacity are increasing. For example some of our weavers have started their own hand looms and business by using their savings. Generally embroidery works do at home base, now Artisan Hut built capacity to take them at a workshop with high wages. Women are using their savings money to purchase land for living. Most of women raise their hand when you ask question that whom are getting importance at home after joining at Bangla Selayi workshop." Stability of orders |
